The US is pushing for the resumption of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the filling and operation of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Washington’s efforts came in line with UN talks held this week at the Security Council to find an exit for the dispute on the dam.
US President Donald Trump expressed his country’s commitment to facilitating a fair and equitable deal among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on GERD during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi two weeks ago.
Washington tried in November to broker a deal between the three countries, but Ethiopia did not accept to sign any agreement.
“The US has a clear objective to help reach an agreement on the dam’s dispute,” Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the head of the Arab Water Council and former minister of water resources and irrigation, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday.
This week, UNSC held a primary session to discuss the issue after Egypt requested the Security Council to intervene to resolve the dispute with Ethiopia over GERD.
Ethiopia has held onto its position in a letter sent to the Council.
Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said Egypt is erroneously portraying the dam as a threat to international peace and security, adding that GERD will not be a menace to peace and security.
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said his country is a genuine party to the negotiations, and that Khartoum will continue to exert efforts to reach a solution that is acceptable by all sides.
In a statement issued Wednesday by the Sudanese Cabinet, Hamdok said that he received a phone call from US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to discuss the latest developments regarding the negotiations.
Also, Sudanese Minister of Water and Irrigation Yasser Abbas said his country has received an invitation from Ethiopia to resume talks.
The government reaffirmed its position that the return to the negotiation table requires a political will to resolve outstanding contentious issues, he said.
In the press conference held Wednesday, Abbas said the draft agreement presented by Sudan is suitable as a basis for consensus among the three countries especially that most of the technical issues have been agreed upon.
Abbas noted that differences remain on legal issues.
